Near to You
by Akimi Kono
Summary: Momo breaks up with her boyfriend, Toshirou, and needs comforting. MomoxIzuru. AU. First Bleach fanfic. R&R. Please enjoy. Romance/Friendship/Hurt & Comfort.
1. Nice to meet You

3/31/10

----

Summary: Momo breaks up with her boyfriend, Toshirou, and needs comforting. MomoxIzuru

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, its concept, its characters, its ideas nor its logos. They belong to Tite Kubo. Thank you. Please enjoy! 

----

The brunette sniffled, pulling her legs up onto the couch and hugging them to her chest. Burying her face in her knees, she let out a soft whimper. It didn't seem right, not dating the silver-haired boy. But if that's what he wanted ... Stupid Rangiku. Stupid Toshirou. Stupid everyone! Sniffling, she raised her cloth-covered hand and wiped her eyes. She wasn't going to sit around in her house and be a sad, weepy little girl. No! She would rise up and get someone better! Someone ... Someone that _wasn't_ Toshirou!

Standing up from her low couch, she wiped her nose with the back of her hand and walked out of the living room towards her bedroom. Changing from her damp sweater and jeans into a whirly skirt with a purple flower pattern and a black t-shirt with a deep purple heart across the stomach, she ran a brush through her long waist-length hair and tied it up in a high pony. She left her room to the front hall, slipping on her black sandals and grabbing her green velvet jacket. Pulling open the door, she stepped out into the warm hallway and inhaled the scent of rain.

It had been storming lightly since the night before, so it was going to be a struggle to stay dry if she was going outside. She wasn't sure why she had changed from something warm, like a sweater, into sandals and a skirt. Sighing and shaking her head, she pulled on her jacket and began the trek towards the door that led out to the exterior stairs.

Just as she was readying to push open the door, she heard the soft murmuring of someone down the hall. She turned her head, curious, and quietly follow the noise. Down the hall and to the right ... She glanced around the corner to see a tall blond picking up pieces of paper. A woman, tall and thin, stared down at him. She shouted something before turning and storming off to the far end of the hall, leaving the man there alone.

The young girl felt something inside of her grow. Sympathy? Loneliness? Whatever it was, it controlled her. She walked around the corner and down to the third door on the right, kneeling down. The blond said nothing as he continued to pick up the papers. Deciding that she should help him, she reached out and brushed her fingers along one of the pages. This startled the man, or so it seemed, for he jumped and snapped his head up quickly. His eyes turned to her and she felt her heart leap. What was wrong?

This sudden action had surprised her and she, balancing on her toes while kneeling, fell back.

"I-I'm sorry," she began, "I-I didn't ... "

"I didn't see you there," he began, turning his eyes away. "I apologize."

A pale blush stained the girl's face. She had never seen this tenant before. Had he just moved in? She pulled herself to the kneeling position before standing, as did the man.

"I was wondering if you needed help."

"Me?" He sounded surprised.

The girl smiled, "Yeah."

"Oh .. well .. I was just picking these up ... " He shifted the papers into his other arm, "It's not a big task."

"Oh .. all right." Pausing, she glanced up at the man who loomed over her. He was tall. But not in an intimidating way ... More of a kind and gentle way. Much taller than her ex-boyfriend, whom she would not think about. " .. um, th-that woman ... ?"

She was unsure if it was rude or not to ask, but she felt compelled to. The man turned and watched her.

"Yes?"

"Ah ... I don't mean to pry, but .. who was she?"

"Oh .. you mean the one that ... ?" He didn't finish his sentence. Sighing, he turned his eyes down and prepared to explain to the young girl what had happened. As he opened his mouth to speak, he was cut off.

"I'm sorry! W-We haven't even exchanged names and I am asking about your personal life! Please forgive me!" He looked up as she placed her hands on her thighs and bowed deeply, her long pony swinging over her shoulder and brushing against the ground. The corner of his lips twitched in a slight smile.

As she stood up, she brushed her pony over her shoulder and smiled. She clasped her hands together and placed them over her stomach. "I'm sorry ... "

"It's all right ... It's no problem..."

"Ah, I .... I'm Momo," she said, sticking out her right hand and smiling, "Momo Hinamori."

The man hesitated before taking her hand with his and shaking it, "Nice to meet you Momo ... I'm Izuru Kira."

She grinned, blushing. "Nice to meet you Kirasan."

"Please," he began in his low voice, dropping her hand, "call me Izuru."

She blushed more, glancing down. "Nice to meet you .. Izuru ... "

Perhaps this heartbreak over the silver-haired boy wouldn't be so hard to get over ...

"Ah, let me get that for you," she reached out and grabbed the papers that were slipping from Izuru's arms. Hugging them to her chest, she beamed up at him.

He raised an eyebrow at her, slightly confused. How could someone be so happy? So cheerful and energetic? Turning towards the door behind him, he pulled out a key from his pocket and inserted it into the door. The quiet 'click' was heard and the man pushed open the door, stepping in. The young girl followed, her heart beating rapidly. Was it a bad idea to go into an apartment with a man she'd only just met?

Izuru passed by her, muttering something quietly. He walked over through towards the end table sitting against the wall. He placed the key on the table and walked towards the left into what appeared to be the kitchen. Momo closed the door behind her and walked over to the table. She placed the papers on the table, looking up. She caught her reflection in the mirror that hung above the table.

Her face heated up with embarrassment. Her eyes were red and puffy and the little eyeliner that she wore was streaked down her cheeks. She licked the tip of her right index finger and began to scrub away at the black make-up. It wasn't coming off.

"Would you like something to drink?"

The cool voice made her jump and she snapped her head towards the hall that led into the kitchen. She blushed at her reaction. "Y-Yeah, sure."

"All right ... " She heard the clattering of a pot being put on the stove and the water running. She glanced back towards the mirror, scrubbing under her eyes with the backside of her wrist. Finally giving up, she crossed between the hall and the open living room into the kitchen. She peeked inside, watching as the man pulled out the kettle from the sink and placed it on the stove. He glanced over at her. "Tea?"

Blushing, she turned her eyes down quickly. "Yes, please!"

" ..... " Kira was silent, staring at her. Her peachy-colored skin matched her name, which he personally thought was beautiful. How could he have not known her? She obviously lived in the apartment complex -- she wasn't wet from the rain outside, which meant she had to have been inside. Unless she had stayed in an apartment with someone and was just now leaving ... that was a possibility. One that he didn't want to think about.

Turning back to the stove, he prepared the water, reaching over to the drawer on his right and pulling out a packet of tea leaves. Would it be all right if he decided to keep her as company for more than an hour? Surely the woman wouldn't come back .. A short temper would cause her to be gone for a while ...

Snapping out of his daydream, Izuru noticed that steam was pouring out of the kettle. He stepped back, surprised. How long did he zone out? Picking out a white handle-less ceramic cup from the counter, he set it upright and poured water into it. Dipping the bags into the water, he glanced over towards the door-less entry. If he could stop spacing out, then maybe he could keep a girlfriend.

Tossing the bag into the sink, he picked up the cup and walked out into the living room where the girl was sitting on the couch, her hands in her lap. She looked up, blushing.

"Oh ... " She took the cup as he handed it to her and smiled at him. "Th-Thank you."

" ... you're welcome." He sat in the armchair across from the couch.

"Ahh," she began after sipping from the cup, "Aren't you going to drink anything?"

"No."

"Oh," the stern and quick reply surprised her. She wrapped her thin fingers around the cup, feeling the warmth radiate onto her skin. She turned her eyes down to the bubbling tea, feeling her face warm up as well. "Thank you very much .. for the tea ... "

"You're welcome." Why would she thank him twice? Sighing, he closed his eyes. He'd been tired of late, and he had no idea why. Perhaps it was all of the stress of moving from this apartment into a new one. Perhaps it was because of his possible ex-girlfriend milling around in an annoyed fashion.

"Th-That .. woman ... ?" Momo began quietly, gaining the man's attention. He opened his eyes to look at her. "She was ... your ... ?"

"Girlfriend."

"Ahh ... " Kanojo. Girlfriend. For some reason, the girl's heart began to sink a little. She had no idea why, considering that she had just met the man. They were only acquaintances. There was nothing between them, Izuru and her. But still she felt a bit jealous and disappointed. "She was very pretty."

"I thought so too."

It seemed a bit rude to Momo that he would say something like that, but considering the circumstance (if she had still been with Toshirou, she would have commented to Izuru about how he [Toshi] was very handsome, but that was not the case), she could understand. She feigned a smile, "You are very lucky."

The depressed-looking man sighed. "I suppose so."

And it was quite rude that he would act that way about the woman he was dating. In the silence that followed, the girl was unsure of what to say. Finally she just blurted out whatever she could think of.

"What is her name?"

"Nanao."

"That's very pretty."

"Yes."

"Hm .. " The two fell silent again, sitting in the dimly-lit living room. Finally, finishing her tea, Momo set the cup on the small, round table beside the couch and stood. "I must get going ... "

He looked up. "So soon?" It was a bit disappointing to have her leave. It seemed she was only there for a minute.

She smiled gently, her bright eyes shining sadly. "I hadn't planned on stopping here. I'll be late." Her statement was a half-lie. She hadn't planned on drinking tea with a wonderfully kind and handsome man, but she, in fact, had no where to go, which meant she could not be late for anything. She bowed deeply, "Thank you, Izurusan."

Momo stood, smiling again. "It would be wonderful if I could meet you again, but now I must leave." Before he could stand and show her to the door, she departed down the entry hall to the front door. She pulled it open and exited, leaving the man by himself. The door closed slowly, clicking to signal that it was locked from the outside. Izuru sat in silence, staring at the seat that the girl had just been sitting in. It was now empty, and a sad feeling took over him. It seemed that he had a void before, where something had to fit in. It had been all right for a while, but he didn't realize that when Momo came, it had been filled. Now that he was alone and she was gone, it seemed that it was bigger and deeper than before. It was sucking the life out of him, it appeared. His face paled slightly and his eyes darkened.

This void was becoming a black hole.

Standing, he walked over to the couch and leaned over to pick up the cup. As he did so, he caught the scent of what appeared to be peaches and lavender. He stood up, staring at the couch. It was coming from where Momo was sitting. Perfume? Or hair-wash? Whatever it was, it was lovely. Feeling a blush cross his cheeks, he muttered under his breath and carried the smooth cup to the sink. It slipped from his hands onto the counter and he left it there, letting a few drops of stray tea drip from the rim. It didn't matter if he was going to clean it up later.

This depressed feeling that over came him was different that what he had felt before. It was like he was worse now. As if he had been sick and given a dose of medicine. And it worked, at least for a while. But once it wore off, which would have been the girl leaving, he was even sicker than before. Sighing heavily, the man dropped his limp body into the chair. Even just knowing the brunette for a short moment had caused his world to change. He was a different man, somewhat. And he was determined not to let her get away.

It didn't matter if he was with Nanao, or anyone else. He needed Momo. At least it seemed like it. In the dark tunnel he had been living, she was like the almond-scented oil-burning lamp. She brightened the entire world around him. Yes, it sounded like a bad pick-up line, but it was true. With another heavy sigh, the man sunk into his chair. He indeed needed her.

He needed to be near to her.


	2. Just because

10/1/10

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Bleach. It belongs to Tite Kubo. Mmkay?

Momo inhaled the deep scent of the lilies as she plucked them from the plastic stand, savoring the sweet tingle of the air on her delicate nose. Her rosy cheeks burned brighter as she thought of the cool hands of Izuru, that of which the lilies' stems had reminded her. She placed the flowers back into their container and moved gracefully down the aisle to the next row of plants, which were roses. She reached out her thin fingers and touched the soft pink petals, feeling the smooth texture under her skin. Today it seemed so _right_ she was broken up with Toshirou. She had never felt this good with him around. It was like she was freed of some type of burden.

The young girl turned her attention to the third set of flowers. Daisies. They were beautiful in a strange and unique way. Their simple form and color drew her heart out to them. She wanted them. Yes, that was this feeling inside her. Want. Before she only bought things she needed. Useless items she passed by, as Toshirou had told her to. Now she was allowed to buy things she wanted, and she wanted those daisies. She picked up three snow white flowers and carried them over to the counter, not caring that the water from the stems was dripping on her pastel-blue skirt. The brunette set the flowers on the counter and waited as the clerk typed in the code, took her money and placed them in a plastic bag. She gratefully took them, smiled her warm and loving smile - which confused the grouchy cashier who managed to smile back - and skipped off, out of the greenhouse and to her bicycle.

She placed the thin plastic handles of the bag over the handlebars and climbed onto the thin frame, sitting squarely on the hard, black seat. She pushed off with her pale leg from the curb, kicked up the stand (a bit clumsily) and peddled hard, off into the parking lot.

Momo sat back on the bike and let the breeze run through her braided hair, not bothering that she had spent money on an item that would perish in a few days. It seemed alright, okay, to do such a thing. Recklessly throwing money away, as Toshirou would have put it. She closed her eyes momentarily and breathed in the scent of the morning air. The sun shone down on her pink face, warming it kindly. It felt like a wonderful, joyous day. A great day to be alive.

The sudden honking of a horn brought Momo from her daydream. Her eyes snapped open and she saw that she had crossed the road and was peddling slowly in front of a delivery truck. Her face turned beet red and she hunched over, zooming onto the sidewalk and turning quickly so she could get away as soon as possible. The angry muttering from the driver grew softer and duller as she got farther away and she was happy for that. Sitting back up, she shook her head and laughed softly. It was alright to space-out and get random delivery truck drivers mad at her - she didn't have to tell anyone. She had no strings tying her down, no one looking over her shoulder and nitpicking everything she did. The woman was free to _breathe_. Something that felt like she hadn't done for a long time. It was the birds in the air, the people on the ground, the grass and the trees and just the Earth. The mothers and the father and their children, and the couples and the singles and the break-ups. It all seemed like unity to her, one big sphere that had no culture, no differences. It just seemed .. perfect.

Humming a cute little song to herself, the girl turned her bicycle towards home, the apartment complex. As she drew nearer, her heart began to pound faster. She blushed hotly and glared at the ground in front of her. It wasn't a bad feeling, it meant she was human, but it was quite distracting while trying to navigate along a sidewalk beside heavy traffic. She shuddered despite the warm air, thinking of the angry woman named Nanao who left the precious Izuru to pick up the papers back days before. It made her a bit angry, for some reason, to think of the glasses-wearing woman with beautiful black hair and a thin nose and pale skin. Her gaze seemed to pierced the very heart of the blond-man and leave him for repair. Momo never saw the woman's eyes, but she felt her sting when she heard her yell at Izuru. It pained her to think of him, sad and perhaps dumped.

That was it! She perked up immediately, thinking of her idea. She would bring the daisies to Izuru! They were both dumpees (that couldn't be verified), and both a bit sad - Izuru more so. She would out her bike away first, but then she'd go inside, march straight to his door and hand him the flowers, no questions asked! It was a perfect plan! It was foolproof! It was .. romantic? The brunette pushed that last one out of her head and smiled reassuringly. It was a friendly gesture.

It was a wonderful idea of Momo to bring the lovely, and slightly wilted, flowers to the depressed and possibly single man. It was a wonderful notion of her to even consider the man whom she had only met once before. It was a wonderful heart she had to bring up her own courage to speak to the man that made her feel special, even if it might have been false.

It was wonderfully disasterous that Momo didn't know that while she was putting her bicycle away behind her apartment, someone else was inside, speaking to the very man she had just come to see.

It was wonderfully disasterous that Momo didn't realize it was Nanao.


	3. What a Surprise

2/10/11 - 3/9/11

Disclaimer: I do not own BLEACH, its characters, its plot, they belong to Tite Kubo... I am just borrowing them for this fanfic.

Momo inhaled deeply and gathered up as much courage as she could manage. It was hard, making herself brave, but it was easier now that Toshirou was no longer with her. Or, actually, that she was no longer with Toshirou. She had always thought he was great and loving and kind. She thought that it was _amazing_ that she had ended up dating him (uh, was he dating her? Which way did she phrase it?) and she could not _imagine_ her life without him. But that's where she ended up. That's where she was right now. Without Toshirou. And she was, in point of fact, imagining - no, _feeling_ - how good it was to be free of him. Not that she didn't love him... She just didn't need him like she thought she did.

She was here in her apartment building because of him. Not Toshirou, no. She was here because of Izuru. And because she lived here. Breathing deep once again, she shook her bangs out of her face and smiled brightly. She clutched the soft stems of her flowers in her delicate hands and made her way into the building through the exterior stairs and down the hall. The palms of her hands seemed to become fairly clammy so she took her time wiping them off on her skirt but they never felt dry. Now she was unsure whether to meet the man, knock on his door and hand him the flowers. Did guys - men - accept flowers? She felt a bit silly now, thinking about it. But she was already this far.

The brunette had walked down the hall and turned right. She was now standing in the hall in which the door to the man's apartment lay. Despite her peppy attitude just moments earlier Momo felt as if maybe she was trying to give empathy when none was needed. What if Izuru hadn't been dumped? What if she insulted him? Then what? She'd never see him again!

Momo stopped short and gently pinched the stems of the daisies in her hands. She had seen the woman with a thin face and angry eyes storm off, leaving a broken Izuru in her wake. Momo had been there to pick up the pieces (of paper, that is), so what was wrong with bringing flowers... to a friend? Yes, a friend, she admitted to herself and blushed at the thought then smiled.

Finally regaining her strength and courage, she marched herself to the door, turned and knocked. She was surprised when it swung open but no one was standing there. What was it? A ghost?

"Oh," she laughed lightly to herself, "the door was open..." Swallowing her secret fear of the phantoms, which were most likely NOT inhabiting Izuru's apartment, she stepped into the room. Instantly she smelled burned coffee, aftershave (Toshirou used to wear it though he never had shaved before in his life), tomatoes and... perfume? She delicately prodded her way through the mess on the ground, stepping over piles of shirts and pants, and peeked into the kitchen. No one was in there but on the counter was a white ceramic cup and a black plastic tray... A T.V. dinner? A small amount of steam was rising up from the tray. She concluded that was where she had smelled the tomatoes. Rubbery tomatoes.

Momo shook her head, sighing. This was very strange for her, but maybe it wasn't strange for Izuru. Perhaps he always left coffee and T.V. dinners on the counter and kept the door open. Maybe he always had this place a mess. Maybe his ex-girlfriend had come over to clean on a regular basis but now that she was gone, it was a mess. She blushed hotly and glared at the ground. If she were a good neighbor she would clean for Izuru. She wouldn't have to be dating him to help him clean, she would be happy to do it!

She tried to balance the daisies in her hand as she picked up a black work shirt. It was difficult to fold the long sleeves AND keep the flowers from tipping over and slipping out of her grasp. Finally she cleared a small area with her foot and placed the daisies on the ground. They would be okay there if she didn't accidentally step on them. Taking up the shirt she had tried earlier to fold, she easily maneuvered it between her hands. She went to place the neatly folded shirt on the ground but she saw there was no place to put it.

"What a mess" is what a normal person would say. It was not what Momo would say though. She was too kind to make even the slightest rude remark. Maybe she got frustrated with someone but she was never harsh. She was never like Toshirou. Spending part of her life with the icy man had made her realize she never wanted to be mean to anyone. So she did not say "what a mess". Instead she smiled and bent over, moving clothes out of the way until there was a section big enough for a shirt.

The girl then picked up a pair of pants. They were black so every piece of white lint that was attracted to it showed. There was a lot of lint. She tossed it over her hand and began to pick off the tiny pieces of lint. Once she realized that she was tossing the lint onto other articles of clothes, she stopped. She only had a tiny bit of cloth cleared. It would have taken her the rest of the day to clean off the pants and then she had to face the clothes that had been sprinkled with the loose lint.

"Maybe that was a bad idea," she murmured, folding the pants over her arm. Maybe she could save these for last and take the rest of her time with them. She gently tossed the pants out of the way and picked up something else. She saw the white color and instantly tossed the article. Her face burned hot and her hands instinctively pulled back. Her face turned even redder when she realized that it was just a white t-shirt.

"S-Silly me..." As she shook her head and reached out for the shirt she heard a mumbled voice. She froze in her place, goose bumps running up her arm. Someone was here.

Of _course_ someone was here. It was Izuru's apartment and the door was open. It was probably Izuru. If it was she would just have to explain that the door was open, she had come in and ... began folding his clothes. If it wasn't him? More goose bumps rose on her arms. It was scary thinking of someone snooping around Izuru's apartment, even if she was also doing it.

She stepped over the clothes and quietly headed over where she heard the voice. She crept along the wall, acting as if she were a ninja, and made it to the door. She pressed her back against the wall and listened carefully. She heard the voice again but this time it was less muffled. She was able to make out a few words from the other side of the door.

"You ... clean ... can't you ... leave ... useless!"

Momo held her breath and strained to hear every word. The voice did not belong to Izuru, so it had to be someone else. But who? Maybe the neighbor come to check on Izuru? Possibly.. but who were they talking to? Maybe another neighbor? Maybe it was the landlord and he was on the phone?

The brunette shuffled over until she was standing in front of the door. She leaned close and listened hard.

"You are so ... I can't believe that you ... You are SO annoying! Can't you do ... without me? ... Are you serious? You can't even ... Maybe if you weren't so ... "

She was hearing more and more words now but it wasn't making any more sense. Perhaps she was missing the most important words of the conversation? That was possible. Actually, it was likely. Despite the fact that she was an intruder and eavesdropping, Momo leaned closer to the door and pressed her ear against it. The voice sounded like it was underwater now, but she could hear more words.

"Just don't ever do that again, okay? ... I said, _okay_? Do you hear me? Are you even _listening_?"

The voice did not sound happy. Momo shrank back from the door, holding her arms. Why was the person so angry? Why were they yelling? Who were they yelling to? She had to find out.

Momo pressed her ear to the door again, placing her hands on the door next to her face.

"Don't just sit there. You have never been assertive, never in your life. Why are you such a wimp?"

That was it. Momo couldn't stand to hear any more. Whoever it was on the other side of the door needed to be stopped and they needed to be stopped _now_. Just as she was readying to step back, swing the door open and step in, the door opened itself and she tumbled in. Momo caught herself just in time and was able to hop a few steps before stopping and standing up. She blushed when she righted herself.

The talking had ceased and she felt like someone was staring at her. Momo turned her eyes up and saw a somewhat familiar face. It was long, thin, pale and angry. The hard eyes looked down at her through unnaturally clean glasses.

"Hm."

Momo stared in silence a the woman. Her silky black hair was pulled back into a tight bun and her thin ears poked out from underneath the shiny ears of her glasses. Her pale pink lips were also thin and they were drawn down into a frown. Everything about her was thin, pale and perfect.

The girl was so shocked by the woman's presence that she didn't notice someone else was in the room. The other person quickly stood from the chair they were sitting in and took a step forward.

"Momo..."

Her eyes flickered to the side. "Izuru?"

The tall, blond man stared down at her. His eyes avoided hers. He shifted his stance and cleared his throat. "Momo, this is - "

"Who are you?," the woman asked quickly. Her voice bit at Momo's ears like a cold wind. She shuddered involuntarily.

"I'm Momo..."

"And you _are_?" Nanao asked in an irritated voice.

"I am ... Izuru's ... neighbor?"

"Hm."

Momo glanced at Izuru for some help but she received none from the quiet man. She turned her gaze back to Nanao. "A-And you are...?"

"I'm Nanao," she announced, turning her chin up and staring down her thin nose at Momo. "Izuru's girlfriend."


	4. For Me, For You

3/13/11 - 3/13/11

Momo stared in horror (or amazement) at the woman with cold, black eyes. When she looked over at her, Momo quickly turned her gaze to her lap and squirmed in her seat. She held the cup of hot tea in her hands, squeezing it tightly. Her knuckles turned white from time to time. It was one thing to stumble into someone's apartment, talk to them and find out they have a girlfriend, it was completely different to stumble into someone's apartment and _meet_ their girlfriend right there. That is what Momo did, on accident. She had simply walked into the apartment, daisies in hand, waiting to meet her new friend and who did she meet? His girlfriend.

"I am sorry about all of this mess, Momo," Izuru said slowly, motioning with his hands towards the ground. Momo smiled sweetly.

"It is all right, Izuru. It doesn't bother me."

Nanao scoffed, "_Izuru_? _Momo_? I see you're both past honorifics."

Momo blushed deeply but Izuru was unfazed. He shrugged his heavy shoulders, "I guess we are."

Nanao shot a glare towards Momo. She wished she could shrink back into the chair and disappear forever. The way the glare heated through her, she thought maybe she would just melt into a puddle. Unfortunately, neither happened.

"Are you enjoying the tea, Momo?"

"Huh? Oh!" She blushed again and nodded. "Yes," she lied. She hadn't even tried the tea, but considering Izuru made it, she was absolutely certain it was delicious. She raised the cup to her lips and blew across the rim. A large puff of white smoke rose up and skimmed over the air. Momo placed the cup to her lips and sipped the tea. Immediately she pulled it back, pushing one hand over her mouth. It was so hot she didn't get the chance to even taste it. It scorched the tip of her tongue and turned it a bright red color.

"Momo? Are you okay?"

She looked up at Izuru and smiled, though her hand still covered her mouth. She nodded and answered. "Yes," her voice was mumbled, "I am just fiiinnnneee."

Izuru stared at her in silence. Nanao glared at her. Momo was confused for a moment then she realized how she had over-emphasized "fine". Her face turned as red as her burnt tongue.

"I-I mean, I-I-I am fine!"

Izuru's lips twitched in a smile. He knew exactly what Momo meant. It was kind of cute... the way she blushed and tried to correct herself, even though she wasn't wrong. Yeah, that was it. She was kind of cute. Nanao wasn't that way. She never blushed or smiled. The only time she approved of what he did was when he bought her a watch for her birthday, and even then she complained.

_"It's the wrong color, Izuru. You know I don't like the color blue." _

No, she hated blue. Since she was born she hated blue. Blue was a guy's color. What color did she like? Probably black. That was the color of her heart.

Momo removed her hand from her mouth, gently prodding her lips with the tip of her tongue. She ran her teeth over the tip and winced. There was a lot of pain there. Maybe she should have waited longer until the tea was actually cooled down. Maybe wait until it was ice-cold. That would have been best.

Izuru stood in front of both women, glancing around from one to the other. He shuffled his feet before sighing heavily and heading towards the kitchen. On his way from the chairs to the kitchen, though, he happened to step just to the left of where he should have and ... _snap_. Momo's head turned up. Nanao "hmphed" and looked over. Izuru stood in his place before slowly looking down. Underneath his sock-clad foot was the green stem of a flower, sticking almost straight up. He hesitated, feeling two pairs of eyes on him. Finally he raised his foot off of the flower and the stem fell back to the ground. He stepped backwards and looked at what he had crushed.

The daisies lay on the ground, broken in half. The petals were limp, the leaves withering. They just laid there pathetically. It kind of appeared that they were waiting for someone to scoop them up with kind hands and love them back to life. You couldn't do that. You couldn't love something back to life. You could only love it to death, but Izuru hadn't done that either. He had crushed them.

He knelt down and picked up the flowers. One of them he held between his fingers. The stem twirled around in the air, attached by one, thin green thread. Finally it broke and fell to the ground. He was silent. He had just killed something.

"Oh!" Momo rose from her place on the chair, "Izuru!"

The blond man stood quietly and looked at the rest of the flowers that he cupped in his hands. They were so small in his palms. He always did stuff like this. He was always too...big. He was surprised he actually fit into his apartment.

"I'm sorry, Momo... I think these were yours..." He turned around and held out the hands to her. She blushed and shook her head.

"No, they were yours..."

"Mine?"

"I... I ..." Momo stopped and thought over what to say. They were for you! I bought them for you, my friend, because I thought you could use them! Just a friendly gesture, friend. Friend. _Friend_. That's all she could be to Izuru. He already had a girlfriend, he couldn't have another one. Not at the same time... But everyone could use a friend. You could never have too many friends. It wasn't what she wanted, but if it's what she had to be, then she would be the best friend anyone could have. "I bought the for y..."

Nanao stood up from her chair and let out a sharp, angry sound. "I am sure it was a _fine_ thing for you to buy them, _Momo_," she sneered, staring down at Momo through her glasses, "but I think it's time for you to _go_."

Momo stared at her in silence. She was confused and shocked. What had she done wrong? She had just tried to explain to Izuru that the flowers were his... What was she supposed to do?

"I - "

"I'm sure you did," Nanao said. She marched over to Momo, roughly grabbed her by the upper arm and forced her towards the door. Momo glanced over her shoulder at Izuru. He stared at her through sad eyes. She glanced down at the green stem on the ground, lying there, dead. Her eyes traveled around the room, taking it all in. The clothes, the chairs, the walls. There was nothing in the room she wanted. It was just stuff. She could have bought all of it. Material things. Her eyes rested on Izuru who continued to stare at her. There was nothing in the room she wanted, however there _was_ something in the room she needed.

Nanao shoved Momo out of the apartment door, glaring at her hotly. "It was nice having you here but we really need to sort thing out. Come around, again? Maybe, like, next month." With that, she slammed the door shut. Momo caught herself just in time before hitting the wall. She corrected herself and stood. A sudden hot burning sensation got her attention. She looked down to see that the cup of tea she was holding had spilled all over the front of her shirt and over her hands. She could see patches of skin turn red from the boiling water.

Instinctively she dropped the cup on the ground and stepped back. "Ow!" She tried to shake the tea from her hands but it wasn't working. Finally she gave up and wiped her hands on her shirt. Since it was already stained it didn't really matter.

Momo walked with her arms out, bent inwards. You know how when your shirt is wet and you try to walk to make sure the shirt doesn't stick to you, but it does anyway? That is how she was walking. She was going to leave and go back to her apartment, but she heard voices. She waddled over to the door and leaned close.

"You are such an idiot, Izuru! You just _leave_ the door open so _anyone_ can come inside? How dense are you?"

"Nanao - "

"_I'm_ talking! You just let come in here and talk to you like you're her ... her... her boyfriend! You talk to her like she's someone who is close to you - why? Why, Izuru? Do you like her?"

"Na - "

"Don't deny it, answer me. You can't escape this, Izuru. _You_ dug this hole. Do you like her?"

"..."

Momo held her breath as she listened quietly. She leaned closer to the door, pressing her ear against it. This seemed oddly familiar...

"Do. You. Like. Her?"

"Nanao, I don't think -"

"Fine. Do you _love _her?"

He sighed heavily, heavy enough for Momo to hear.

"Do you like her?"

"..."

Momo, Nanao and Izuru were all silent. Momo leaned as close as she could to the door and she imagined Nanao was leaning in too, waiting patiently for an answer. What was the answer? Did Izuru like her? Did he? What was the answer?

"...Yes."


End file.
